Obamacare narrowed racial and ethnic gaps in access to health insurance and care, but it didn’t eliminate them, a new study reports. University of Michigan researchers analyzed data gathered from 19- to 64-year-olds nationwide between 2008 and 2017. They found that before Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance programs went into effect in 2010, nearly 25%… read on >
Coronavirus continued its march across America on Tuesday, with more than 120 cases now confirmed in at least 14 states and nine deaths now reported in Washington state. Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Washington state either have cases confirmed by health officials or… read on >
As the new coronavirus spreads across the United States, leading health experts are noting that America has been here before — and past lessons are helping officials prepare for today’s crisis. Starting with the 2003 SARS epidemic and the avian influenza (“bird flu”) outbreak of 2005, many U.S. hospitals, nursing homes and other health facilities… read on >
As the new coronarvirus extends its reach, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family, experts say. “As with any respiratory virus, the main recommendations hold true with the novel coronavirus,” said Dr. Rachael Lee, a health care epidemiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). “Wash your hands, cover… read on >
Opioid use in Florida fell after a law that restricted opioid prescriptions for acute pain was introduced in 2018, researchers report. Under the law, opioid prescriptions for acute pain are limited to a three-day supply (with certain exceptions), and physicians and pharmacists must use the state’s prescription drug monitoring database to review a patient’s prescription… read on >
There’s a new, unexpected reason to keep your pearly whites gleaming: avoiding diabetes. New research found that people who regularly brush their teeth three times a day reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes. The study also found that people who have dental disease or a lot of missing teeth have a higher risk of… read on >
Coronavirus continued to spread throughout the United States on Monday, with more than 100 cases confirmed in 15 states and six deaths now reported in Washington state. Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Washington state either have cases confirmed by health officials or… read on >
President Donald Trump drew a direct comparison between the seasonal flu and the new coronavirus in his first press conference on COVID-19 last week, saying that Americans might have more to fear from flu than the headline-making virus. But a closer comparison of the two viruses creates a more worrisome picture of what could happen… read on >
More than 200,000 people in the United States have pulmonary fibrosis, but more than eight in 10 Americans don’t know the symptoms of the lung disease, a new survey finds. Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive disease that causes scarring of the lungs. Symptoms include persistent, dry cough, shortness of breath and fatigue. There is no… read on >
A Harvard/China collaboration has entered the coronavirus COVID-19 fray, with researchers on both sides of the globe working to expand understanding of the potentially pandemic virus. The researchers will be working on vaccines to prevent infection and antivirals to treat the sick, but the effort is a more holistic approach designed to figure out the… read on >
